About this Event
Building on nature's blueprint
What is the connection between spinal-cord injuries and cultivated meats? Meet Whiteboard Foods, an Ottawa-based venture developing cell-based food products and learn their origin story inspired by the organic latticework or scaffolding found in plants.
Cell-cultivated tech, that is using cell cultures, tissue engineering and precision fermentation to create new food products, could develop into a $7.5-billion annual industry by 2030, according to Ontario Genomics. And the global market for cell-based food products is expected to reach $100 billion in the next decade. At this month's MaRS Mornings, Manjula Selvarajah, syndicated tech columnist for CBC Radio and host of the MaRS podcast Solve for X, hosts a fireside with Prashant Jairaj, general manager of Whiteboard Food on scaling production, convincing consumers to try their product and what it will take for Canada to become a global leader in cellular agriculture.
Location: MaRS Live Lounge, 661 University Ave, Toronto, ON
Agenda:
9:00 - 9:25 a.m. — Registration, coffee and networking
9:25 - 9:30 a.m. — Opening remarks
9:30 - 10:00 a.m. — Fireside with Manjula Selvarajah and Prashant Jairaj + Q&A
10:00 - 11:00 a.m. — Networking
Moderator:
Manjula Selvarajah is a journalist, producer and syndicated tech columnist for CBC Radio One. She is also the podcast host for MaRS Discovery District’s Solve for X: Innovations to Change the World. In her former role, she was vice president marketing at a Toronto-based tech startup and holds an engineering degree from Queen’s University.
Panelists:
Prashant has deep experience in the consumer packaged goods industry and has worked in a
variety of commercial roles across the North American geography for well-respected CPG companies over the past 15 years, including Mars Wrigley, Red Bull, and Weston Foods. In his most recent role prior to Whiteboard Foods, Prashant was VP, Plant-Based Consumer Products for Global Food and Ingredients Inc., a fast-growing ingredients company, in which he helped establish the consumer products division, built out a commercial team, and oversaw the commercialization and launch of a portfolio of plant-based food products into the North American marketplace.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
MaRS Centre — LIVE Lounge, 661 University Avenue, Toronto, Canada